Sand Cat 1 Sand Cat

Big Cat Rescue Sand Cat 1 Sand Cat Common Name: Sand Cat Family: Felidae Kingdom: Animalia Genus: Felinae (Felis) Phylum: Chordata (Vertebrata) Species: margarita Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora 1 2 Subspecies F.m margarita – The Sahara F.m. thinobia – Turkestan F.m. scheffeli – Pakistan F.m. harrisoni – Arabia, Jordan (Pictured on both pages) 2 3 Overview This is one of the more difficult cats to study in the wild. Their foot coverings allow them to walk on sand without sinking, leaving their footprints nearly invisible. They have learned to crouch down and shut their eyes when a light is shone on them, which prevents the light from reflecting their eyes for tracking. That combined with their protective coat color makes them blend right into their habitat. They also bury all of their excrement making it impossible to find and analyze so their diet can be studied. 3 4 Life Span In captivity, they have lived up to 13 years, but have a high juvenile mortality rate (41%). The life expectancy of sand cats in the wild has not been documented. Of 228 sand cats born in zoos globally to the year 2007, only 61% lived to day 30. They died primarily due to maternal neglect by first-time mothers. 4 5 Size and Appearance Size: Sand Cats weigh in at 4-8 pounds and reach overall lengths of 29-36 inches, and heights of 10-12 inches. The Sand cat is a small, stocky cat with short legs. Its head and body length ranges from 39 to 52 cm (15 to 20 in), with a 23.2 to 31 cm (9.1 to 12 in) long tail. 5 Appearance – Coat Coloration: It has a dense soft fur that is a pale sand or gray color above and paler underneath. It has large ears and a broad head, and a reddish streak that runs from its eyes across its cheeks. The ears are reddish-brown and black-tipped. There are faint stripes running down the flanks and black bands running around the tops of the front legs. The Sand cat’s winter coat is very thick and can be as long as two inches. Appearance – Tail: The tail has 2-3 black rings towards its black tip. The Sand cat’s tail is relatively long at about nine to twelve inches. Appearance – Paws: The bottom of Sand Cats’ paws are covered with a thick layer of wiry black hair, which insulates the footpads against extremes of heat and cold, and allows for easier movement through the sand. It is interesting to note that the hair between their toes also helps insulate the paws from the hot sand. Appearance – Claws: They are prolific diggers, and their claws are not very sharp for lack of places to sharpen them in the desert. The claws on the back paws are short and blunt. Whenever tracks are found you can sometimes see imprints of the claws in the paw print. Appearance – Eyes: The Sand cat’s eyes are large, greenish yellow eyes that have a white ring of fur 6 around them. Appearance – Nose: The naked tip of the nose is black. Appearance Head and Ears: The auditory bullae and the passages from the external ears to the ear drums are greatly enlarged relative to other small felids. The head is broad. The pinna of the ears is triangular, and the ear canal is very wide, giving the cat an enhanced sense of hearing. The ears are large and more pointed than in the manul. They are set low, giving a broad flat appearance to the head.[ This trait may protect the inner ears from wind-blown sand and aid detection of movements of subterranean prey. A highly developed hearing capacity is important for locating prey, which is not only sparsely distributed in arid environments, but also found underground. 7 6 Habitat Sandy and stony deserts. The sand cat (Felis margarita), also known as the sand dune cat, is the only felid found primarily in true desert environments. Sand cats live in both sandy deserts and Stony deserts. They live in areas that are located far away from water sources. They prefer flat terrain with sparse vegetation, avoiding bare sand dunes, where there is relatively little food. They can survive in temperatures ranging from −5 °C (23 °F) to 52 °C (126 °F), retreating into burrows during extreme conditions. 8 7 Distribution From the Sahara through the Middle East to Turkestan. It is found in widely separated areas through the deserts of northern Africa and southwest and central Asia. 9 In North Africa, sand cats occur marginally in western Morocco, including former Sahara Occidental, Algeria, and from the Sinai Peninsula to the rocky deserts of eastern Egypt. Sightings have been reported from Tunisia, Libya, Mali and Niger. In Mauritania, they are supposed to occur in the Adrar Mountains and Majabat al Koubra. Spoor have been found in Senegal, Chad, and Sudan. In 2000 and 2001, sand cats were sighted and camera trapped in a protected area near Palmyra in Syria. In central Asia, sand cats occur east of the Caspian sea throughout the Karakum Desert from the Ustyurt Plateau in the northwest to the Kopet Dag Mountains in the south extending through the Kyzylkum Desert to the Syr Darya River and the northern border to Afghanistan. 10 8 Reproduction & Offspring Oestrus in sand cats lasts from five to six days, and is accompanied by calling and increased scent marking. These cats have been reported to have 2 litters per year in parts of their territory in both March-April, and again in October. Gestation is 59-63 days, after which females produce a litter of 2-4 kittens. At birth, the newborns weigh approximately 1.5-2 ounces with spotted pale yellow or reddish fur. The kittens gain about 12 grams per day. Their eyes will normally be open by the 14th day, and they will begin to walk by the 21st day. They reach three quarters of the adult size within 11 five months of birth. They begin to take solid food at 5 weeks and become independent by 3-4 months. They reach sexual maturity around 10-12 months. 12 9 Behavior Social System Behavior and Communication: Sand cats live solitary lives outside of the mating season. Because their populations are so few, they have a loud mating call, which resembles the barking of a small dog. Their other vocalizations include meowing, growling, hissing, spitting, screaming and purring. Hear our purrs, hisses, snarls, calls, and growl sounds HERE --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHZm52nvBB4 Ecology and Behavior: They communicate using scent and claw marks on objects in their range, and by urine spraying. They do not leave their feces in exposed locations as many other felids do. They make vocalizations similar to domestic cats, but also make loud, high-pitched barking sounds, especially when seeking a mate. Hearing plays an important role in intraspecific communication: sand cats make a short, rasping bark in connection with mating activity. They inhabit burrows and use either abandoned fox or porcupine burrows, or enlarge those dug by gerbils or other rodents. The burrow is about 1.5 m (4.9 ft) deep and dug in slightly slanting ground with a single entrance, but also two or three were observed. In winter, they stay in the sun during the day, but during the hot season, they are crepuscular and nocturnal. Their way of moving is distinct: with belly to the ground, they move at a fast run punctuated with occasional leaps. They are capable of sudden bursts of speed and can sprint at speeds of 30 to 40 km (19 to 25 mi) per hour. They have been recorded to move long distances of 5–10 km (3.1–6.2 mi) in a single night, and a radio telemetry study in Israel suggests large home ranges, with one male using an area of 16 km2 (6.2 sq mi). They were active generally throughout the night, hunting and travelling an average of 5.4 km (3.4 mi). Before retiring below ground at dawn, the same lookout position was adopted at the mouth of the burrow. Burrows were used interchangeably by different cats, and the animals did not change burrows during the day. 14 10 Hunting & Diet Primarily nocturnal, they hunt by digging. Their highly developed hearing allows the Sand cat to locate prey which is not only sparsely distributed, but underground as well. Their primary diet consists of 3 species of gerbils. It also includes birds, reptiles and arthropods. They are also known for being snake hunters, which they kill with a rapid blow to the head that stuns, and then administer the death bite to the neck. Sand Cats will also cover large kills with sand and return later to feed. Although they will drink when water is available, they are able to survive for months on the water in their food. Small rodents are their primary prey, with records from Africa including spiny mice, jirds, gerbils, jerboas, and young of cape hare. They have also been observed to hunt small birds like Greater Hoopoe Lark, Desert Lark, and consume reptiles such as Desert Monitor, Fringe-toed lizards, sandfish, short-fingered gecko, horned and sand vipers, and insects. They are capable of satisfying their moisture requirements from their prey, but drink readily if it is available. They can dig rapidly to extract their prey from the ground, and bury prey remains in the sand for later consumption 16 11 Threats This is one of the only cats that doesn’t face habitat degradation with its preferred habitat being the desert.

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